Gluten Free Chocolate Fondant

Makes 2, takes 15 minutes (recipe can be doubled)

Is there any better dessert than a hot chocolate fondant cake, that oozes rich chocolate sauce the moment your spoon breaks the shell? The answer is no.

Chocolate fondant's were always a recipe I was scared of due to the idea I had of it being technically difficult, but eventually the want I had to eat them again pushed me to figure out how to make them gluten free. And, you know what? It's actually super easy.

The tricky bit.

The only part you could go wrong with this recipe is by over or undercooking the fondant. If you overcook it, you won't get that ooey gooey chocolately centre. If you undercook it, the fondant runs the risk of having no structure, and will crack open when you put it onto the plate. So how do you know when it's done. For me, about 7 minute and 30 seconds was the sweet spot in my 200°C preheated oven. You can also tell by sight. The fondant should just be coming away from the sides of the ramekin, and should be baked on top. If it has a crack in it, that's ok! Please see below for a picture of mine when I knew it was ready.

To Serve

I always serve this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and strawberries or raspberries, and of course dusted with a bit of icing sugar (but that's just to look fancy). It would also go will with dusted cocoa powder, fresh cream, or a raspberry coulis. The most important thing is that you aren't pairing it with anything too rich, as the fondant itself is very decadent. It's always good to pair a rich chocolate dish with a sweet and sharp fruit, most berries would suit.

I N G R E D I E N T S

• 50 grams dark chocolate (between 50-60% cocoa)

• 40 grams butter, chopped into cubes

• 1 egg

• 30 grams caster sugar

• 30 grams gluten free flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp cocoa powder

M E T H O D

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C on bake.

2. Over a saucepan of boiling water, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl.

3. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter until it melts.

4. In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg and caster sugar together until frothy.

5. Pour the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture while stirring, and mix until combined. Make sure you are stirring continuously while pouring in the egg so it doesn't scramble.

6. Sift in the gluten free flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder and mix until just combined (no lumps of flour left).

7. Grease 2 ramekins with butter and then pour the fondant mixture evenly into the ramekins. At this point, you can keep these in the fridge for up to a day if you are making in advance.

8. Place the fondants in the middle of the oven, and bake for 7-8 minutes or until the top crust has baked. If you are cooking them after they have been kept in the fridge, they will need a couple of minutes longer.

9. Once the fondant has cooked, carefully remove the ramekins from the oven.

10. Run a knife around the edges, so they will easily slip out, and then gently turn the ramekins over onto plates and give it a couple of taps so they come loose.

11. Hopefully at this point you will have two beautiful fondants, that are still holding their shape! They are best served immediately, with ice cream and strawberries.